Just saw this letter in ST Forum: Making friends or making out?
I am appalled to read that in universities, the orientation programs involve making a guy take sweets from a girl's mouth and do push-ups on top of a girl. At 19 to 21 years old, these young impressionable minds, practically babes in the woods, could be influenced into a life of shallow relationships!
I think we should legislate and ban orientation events to protect these young minds. For instance, it should be against the law to make guys take sweets from girls' mouth. And ban guys from not selecting less attractive girls to partner with at these events.
Not only that, there should be mandatory jail time and caning for those who label students who are uncomfortable participating in these activities as "squares". God forbid we teach our 20-year-olds to think and decide for themselves, and develop some backbone against peer pressure.
University students are practically kids, although they have the bodies of adults. We must protect them from the evils of the wanton and lurid world of university orientation activities. Today, they may be taking sweets from each other's mouths, tomorrow, who knows? They may be actually kissing people they don't like or complete strangers in some club or disco!
Perhaps the goverment can consider assigning chaperones to accompany these university freshmen at these activities, to provide moral guidance and make social and sexual decisions for them.
Letter from ST below the fold:
Making friends or making out?I UNDERSTAND the Government worries about the reluctance among the young to marry and have children. But, certain organisations are taking the message too far.
Several of my nephews and nieces in their first year at two of our local universities told me that their orientation camp organised lewd and improper activities. These games, I was told, were backed by the Social Development Unit (SDU).
In one game, female students were made to exchange sweets with male students using their mouths as they sat in a circle.
Another required a female student to lie on the floor as a male student did push-ups on top of her, obviously mimicking copulation.
There were also games where girls were asked to pick boys they wished to pair up with for a segment of the camp. Less 'attractive looking girls' were subjected to the taunts of boys who groaned and lamented to their friends when they were picked by these 'ugly girls'.
Such activities concern me. Are our youth being taught that physical attraction and touching are more important than appreciating another person's character?
Yes, physical attraction has some importance in forging relationships. But it should not be overtly emphasised. Moreover, if youth are taught to focus on the heat and sexual attraction of young love, their relationships will never be healthy, wholesome and enriching.
Do our universities and the SDU want our youth to end up sleeping together and waking up the next day only to discover that they cannot stand the character of the person whom they have just spent the night with, but still having had the best time in bed anyway?
I question the rationale in allowing such games. Without proper guidance, orientation organisers, who are inexperienced and hormone-charged youth, will lead their younger fellow students astray.
We want more of our youth to get married, but such activities demean both sexes and the idea of marriage.
If I'm not wrong, most undergraduates attend the orientation camp to make friends with people they will be studying with. My nieces and nephews say that they've made very few friends.
If they feel uncomfortable participating in such games, they are labelled 'square' and lacking in sportsmanship.
Such camps are teaching our youth to drop their moral values and religious beliefs for sexual gratification.
I don't think we want a nation of youth engaged in relationships that are lacking in moral values and religious beliefs just to halt the falling birthrate.
I urge the authorities to regulate such programmes.
I wouldn't want my child dating a schoolmate who did push-ups on top of her.
Soh Eng Phang (Ms)
